Electrolytic apparatus



Aug. 4, 1931. R. D. MERsHoN ET AL ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS Filed April 30. 1927 2 Sheets-Shea). l

S-vwamtou Percy H. Foss. @WW aoln, GA rw Aug. 4, 1931. R D. MERsHoN ET AL 1,817,200

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS Filed April 30, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 4, 19,31

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH D. MERSHON, OF NEW YORK., AND PERCY A. ROSS, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.;

SAID ROSS ASSIGNOR TO SAID MERSHON ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS Appncation ined April so,

` of the electrolyte corrosion occursat the point of emergence. With an aqueous electrolyte there is always more or less evaporation and some electrolytic decomposition. Water vapor thus produced can be. condensed and returned as liquid to the electrolyte, but loss of vapor that may occur by leakage, together with the loss by decomposition, may in the course of time bring the surface of the electrolyte below thetop of the electrodes or plates.

Our present invention is designed to provide automatic indication of the height of the electrolyte, giving timely warning of danger conditions so that the amount of' electrolyte may be increased, as by the addition of water, before serious damage, orany damage, has been caused. Another object is to provide automatic means by which the. Warning may take the form of disconnection of the apparatus from the line or other source of current with which it is operating when the electrolyte falls to a predetermined level. l To these and other ends the invention comprises the novel features hereinafter described.

In carrying out the invention in the preferred manner we provide the condenser tank with a vapor outlet tube so arranged that its lower end is normally submerged yin the elec trolyte, and we permit or cause the temperature of the electrolyte to rise, for example, as a result of electrical losses in the apparatus, to a pointat which there is more or less ebullition, preferably vigorous. The ebullition or boiling is primaril intended to produce rapid circulation or oweof. the electrolyte for the purpose of dislodging or sweeping olf any bubbles of -gas that might adhere to the plates and permit corrosion to take place at the bubble boundaries, but in the present` form of the invention we take advantage of the boiling condition by utilizing the concurrent rapid evolution of steam-to operate or con-l trol the warningdevice or devices. For this purpose we provide, in connection with the vapor outlet or warning tube, means respon- Vtank above a value determined b tion head of the vapor in the plpe.

1927. semi m1237321.

sive to the flow or escape of steam therefrom 1n such manner that when-the flow of steam becomes excessive due to the electrolyte falllng below and thereby opening the normally submerged lower end of the tube the desired warning will be given. e

The embodiment outlined above'is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows the'apparatus diagrammatially, with the condenser in vertical cross sec- Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly in section, of

an audible signal is desired.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the form shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the use of thermostatic means of more common form for controlling the system.

Fig. 6 shows a simpler form of the invention.

The plates or anodes 10. 11. immersed in the electrolyte 12, are connected in groups or sets to the terminals 13, 14 for connection with the source of current, not shown. The condenser is excited by direct current from a generator 15, the ositive terminal of which is connected by wire 16 to the neutral point or center ofthe autotransformer or choke copperor other suitable non-filming metal.

For the purpose of conserving liquid which` would otherwise be lost by evaporation of the electrolyte the tank 20 may be equipped with a radiator or condenser, say in the form of a coiledpipe 21. As the steam rises in the pipe it loses heat by radiation and the. resulting condensate runs back into the tank, thereby reducing or minimizing the possible loss by evaporation. Atthe same time the condenser pipe or radiator, being open to the atmosphere, prevents rise of pressure in the the fric Inasmuch as itis not always, if ever, possible to re- 'ums is bent downwardly to keep out dust and other foreign matter that mi ht contaminate the electrolyte, and connecte with the outlet end is a simple whistle 23. It will be understood that by reason of the condenser 21 the ressure in the tank, due to the friction head) in the condenser, is too low to force v liquid out of the warning tube.

So long as the lower end of the tube 22 is submerged in the electrolyte the only steam escaping from the tube is that resulting from eva-poration from the small surface area of the liquid in the tube and is therefore relatively slight, even when the electrolyte is Y boiling vigorously. If, however, the surface of the electrolyte descends far enough to open the tube the steam immediately escapes in' a visible jet and at a rate fast enough to blow the whistle 23, thereby warning the attendant ofthe approach of dangerconditions so that he may add water before damage occurs. Or, if the whistle is omitted, the jet of steam issuing from the tube will give sufficient visible warning.

In order to positively protect the condenser in case the warmng is unheeded we .provide in the condenser leads a circuit breaker, indicated -diagrammatically at 24, normally held closed by a relay 25 connected to the exciting source 15 and across the fusible link 19, which latter, it will be remembered, is in series with the tank 20 serving as the condenser cathode. The link is shown mounted across the bore of the tubular member 26 of thermally and electrically non-conducting material, connected at the top to the outlet end of the warning tube and at the bottom to the warning whistle 23. The link being made of metal which is fusible at a temperature less than or no higher than that of the boiling electrolyte, it will be seen that abnormal iow of steam due to uncovering the lower end of tube 22 will sooner or later melt the link, thereby o ening the relay circuit and deenergizing t e relay, whereupon the circuit breaker 24 operates and opens the external circuit of the condenser. The operation of the relay ma also'light a lamp, or sound a horn, or botli. For such purpose a lamp 27 and horn 28 are shown connected across the condenser terminals 13, 14 through normally open contacts 29. When the relay is deenergized its armature swings over and bridges the cont-acts, thereby closing the circuit of the lamp and horn.

If desired, one or more other warning tubes, as 30, 31, 32, may be provided, extending to'different depths in the electrolyte to ive successive visible or audible warnings or th as the surface of the electrolyte alls The whistles with which the tubes are shown equipped may differ in pitch or other quality so that as the tubes are opened in succession the resultant note or tone will change in a distinctive manner.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3 the tubular member 26a in which the whistle 23 and fusible link 19 are mounted (one below the other) has a side outlet 33 for steam and has at its bottom tapered to form a small cavity into which extend the normally open contacts 34. The latter'are in series with the normally (ie-energized 4relay 25a. The circuit breaker 24a is of any suitable type such that when the lever 24o, which serves as the relay armature, is actuated by the energized relay the external circuit ef the condenser (not shown in 3) will be broken. Now when the link 19 is fused the puddle of metal thus deposited in the bottom of the member 26a will bridge the contacts 34, thereb causing current to flow through the relay rom the exciting source 15. The relay, thus energized, actuates the circuit breaker lever 246, which at the same time bridges the contacts 29 and causes current to flow through lamp 27 -and horn. 28. In

the arrangement shown in F ig. 3 the link 19 is not in the exciting circuit, the wire 18 going' directly to the condenser cathode, not shown.

Instead of fusible members we may use thermostatic means of more ordinary type,

asin Figs. 4 and 5, for example. In the former, in which the relay 255 and circuit breaker24carethesameasin Fig. 1, abnor Jl flow of steam heats the bimetallic bar thereby causing it to flex out of engagement with the contact 36 and open the relay circuit. In Fig. 5, in which therelay 250 and circuit breaker 24d are the same as in Fig. 3, the bar 37 flexes into engagement with contact 38 when heated, thereby closing the relay circuit.

In some cases the simple system 4shown in Fig. 6 may be employed. In this figure the warning tube 22a is forked and the nonconducting body 26o carries two fusible links, 40, 41, in series with the condenser leads 42, 43. The relay 25d is connected across the leads42, 43, between the links and the condenser, not shown. When the links are fused by abnormal iow of steam through the warning tube, not only is the external circuit of the condenser broken but the relay is also de-energized and its armature swings over to contact 44, thereby closing the circuit of lamp 27 and horn 28. And of course the third link, 45, is in the exciting circuit, in the present instance in the nega.- tive lead 18 from the exciting source 15, so that when link 45 is fused the exciting circuit will be o ened. It will be understood Vthat if desire the three links may be arranged one above the other in the same bore instead of in separate bores or passa es.

' It is to be understood that t e invention is notlimited to the features herein specifically described but can be embodied in ot er forms `without departure from its spirit asdened by the appended claims. Nbr is the inven# tion limited to use With electrolytic condens ers or other electrolytic apparatus, but may be used, generally, wherever account is to be' taken of-variation in level of a heated liquid undergoing rapid evaporation in a substantiall closed vessel..` i

e claim 1. In an' electrolytic condenser, a vessel, I

a vaporizable electrol e therein, filmed electrodes immersed in t e electrolyte, a tube open at both ends having one end immersed signatures. e

f RALPH D. MERSHON.

PERCY A. ROSS.

in the electrolyte so as to be closed thereby A until uncovered by fall of the electrolyte surface `due to loss of the same, and an electric circuit controlled by abnormal low of vapor through said tube.

2. In an electrolytic condenser, a vessel, an aqueous electrolyte therein, filmed electrodes immersed in the electrolyte, a tube having an open end immersed in the elec- 4 trolyte so as trolyte so as to be closed thereby until uncovered by fall oi' the electrolyte surface due to evaporation, an electric circuit controlled by abnormal flow of steam through said tube,

and means controlled b said circuit to open the external circuit o the electrolytic apparatus when said abnormal flow occurs.

3. In an electrolytic condenser, a. vessel, an equeous electrolyte therein, filmed electrodes immersed in ,the electrolyte, a tube having an open end immersed in the electo be closed thereby until uncovered by fall of the electrolyte surface due to evaporation, a heat-responsive body arranged in the path of steam flowing through i said tube, whereby to be exposed to abnormall hi -h flow of steam due to uncovering of t e tu e inlet by fall of the electrolyte,

and an electric circuitcontrolled by the said body.

4. In an electrolytic condenser, a closed vessel, an aqueous electrolyte therein, filmed electrodes immersed in the electrolyte, means associated with the vessel to condense vapor liberated from the electrolyte and return the condensate to the electrolyte and prevent excessive rise of pressure in the vessel; and means for openin the external circuit of the condenser when t e surface of the electrolyte` falls below. a predetermined level; said cirone end immersed in the electrolyte above said predetermined level, and a heat-res onsiveA circuit-controllin body in the'pat of vaporconve ed by said tube'whereb to" be exposed to a normal flow of vapor it rough ycuit-opening means comprising a tube having discharge an abnorath oip'vapor flowing' 

